The present invention relates to recovering oil from oil-recovery wells and, in particular, to eliminating or reducing paraffin accumulation in the well.
For many years paraffin accumulation in casings and other associated elements of oil-recovery wells has plagued those in the oil industry. The accumulation of paraffin interferes with an efficient recovery operation which must be interrupted for periodic paraffin removal.
Paraffin buildup has previously been eliminated by pumping oil, which had been heated at ground level, down into the well. The heated oil has the effect of liquefying paraffin. The heated oil and liquefied paraffin are then withdrawn from the well, thereby flushing the well clear of any paraffin buildup. Typically, large steam boilers at ground level are required to heat oil utilized in such a paraffin-flushing process. In an active well paraffin buildup may have to be eliminated on a weekly basis, thus adding to the cost of oil recovery as well as increasing "down time" of an oil recovery process.
It is an object of the present invention to eliminate paraffin from oil-recovery wells in a more time and cost efficient manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to heat oil as it enters an oil-recovery well and to eliminate any need for subsequent flushing to the well with heated oil.
These and other objects of the present invention are readily apparent from the following discussion.